Evidence of Associations Between Lay Conceptions of Well-Being, Conception-Congruent Behavior, and Experienced Well-Being

Individuals’ lay conceptions of well-being have been found to be associated with several indexes of positive psychological
functioning, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying these associations. In two studies, the current research
examined whether conception-congruent behavior mediates associations between conceptions of well-being and two indexes of
experienced well-being (subjective well-being and meaning in life). Study 1 addressed the above question using a prospective
approach, whereby associations between conceptions of well-being, predicted engagement in hedonic and eudaimonic behavior,
and predicted well-being were examined. Study 2 more directly addressed the above question using a daily diary approach, whereby
conceptions of well-being, actual engagement in hedonic and eudaimonic behavior, and experienced well-being were assessed
over a period of 1 week. In both studies, results indicated that associations between eudaimonic conception dimensions and
experienced well-being were partially mediated by engagement in eudaimonic behavior. Hedonic conception dimensions were largely
unrelated to hedonic behavior and well-being. The current findings thus suggest that eudaimonic behavior is one potential
route through which eudaimonic conception dimensions exert their salubrious effects on well-being.